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Long Beach is Now Paying People to Make Their Yards More Sustainable
Photo by firecatstef via Flickr
Long Beach's program is nothing new as Los Angeles has been doing it since last June. The big difference, however, is that Long Beach is offering residents $2.50 instead of $1.00 for every square foot that is transformed from bitch-thirsty lawn grass to native landscaping that thrives off the Southern California climate.
The Beautiful Long Beach Lawn to Garden Incentive Program will give up to $2,500 for 1,000 square feet to approved residents. The program with its limited funding is first come, first serve, so it is likely the money will go fast.
“Many people have come to view the permanent water reductions affecting southern California with apprehension and uncertainty,” said Matthew Lyons, Director of Planning and Conservation for the Long Beach Water Department, in a news release. “But these reductions have also created an awareness of the value of replacing grass lawns with California friendly landscapes. These landscapes require less yard maintenance, less fertilizers and pesticides, improve habitats in the upstream environments and in our Long Beach coastal waters, attract wonderful creatures such as hummingbirds and butterflies and, in some cases, provide more person-friendly spaces such as expanded patios and entertaining areas."
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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